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RodPod

RodPod support

RodPod records the motion of a compatible AirPod secured to your fishing rod and helps you review your outings. Casts and technique suggestions are experimental.

Getting started

  1. Pair your AirPods with your iPhone.
  2. Open AirPods & rod setup from RodPod Settings, Start fishing or Rod alerts. Grant Motion & Fitness and Microphone access when asked.
  3. Choose which AirPod will go on the rod; either side works. Setup shows the matching iPhone settings: in Settings → Bluetooth → your AirPods, turn Automatic Ear Detection off, and under Microphone select Always Left AirPod or Always Right AirPod to match.
  4. Secure that AirPod to the rod so it moves with it. In field testing we taped an AirPods Pro to the blank just ahead of the grip, on the side and clear of the line. See the setup in 3D.
  5. Run the movement test. It starts on its own once your AirPods are connected. Move the rod AirPod while keeping the other one still and out of your ears. Continue as soon as the movement is verified, or keep watching the graph for up to six seconds.
  6. Tap Start fishing and fish normally. Estimated casts and rod movement are visible while you record; you do not need to narrate or label anything. Finish to save the outing. Technique analysis is prepared after you finish.

Repeat the setup test when you change the AirPod, rod or mount, or after a connection problem. The microphone permission supports the AirPods connection; normal fishing and alerts do not save microphone audio.

Your session on the Lock Screen

  • What it shows. A Live Activity shows estimated casts, elapsed time and the latest update. Rod alerts show monitoring status and the last detected movement. On supported iPhones, the Dynamic Island also shows session information.
  • Check the update time. The display shows the last information received. It does not guarantee that recording is continuing. If updates stop or a connection warning appears, tap the activity to check RodPod.
  • Choose whether it appears. Turn on Show on Lock Screen in RodPod Settings before starting a new session, and allow Live Activities for RodPod in iPhone Settings. You can hide the activity without ending your session.

Live Activities do not extend recording time or prevent interruptions. The free 10-minute allowance still applies. On longer Pro sessions, the Live Activity ends before eight hours; recording is controlled separately in RodPod.

Rod alerts

When your rod is resting, open Summary → Rod alerts, directly below Start fishing. Set the sensitivity with the 0–100 slider or the +/− controls, test the sound, attach the AirPod to the rod, then gently move it to check the response before you start monitoring. Your choice is saved, and you can adjust it while monitoring. Detection begins with the first fresh motion sample: there is no settling wait and no cooldown, and continued movement keeps sounding. Sensitivity and a small hysteresis margin are what separate movement from stillness, so lower the setting if wind or water keeps triggering alerts.

  • An alert means the rod moved. Fish, wind, the line and handling all count. Alerts are experimental and do not confirm a bite.
  • Sound follows your current audio output. With one AirPod on the rod, keep the other in your ear and test the sound before relying on it. Phone notifications depend on your notification and Focus settings.
  • Alerts and fishing run separately. Finish a fishing session before starting alerts. Alert mode keeps recent movements in memory for the current session and does not save a trip.
  • A lost connection, a call or another audio interruption stops monitoring and needs a restart. Check the connection before relying on alerts, especially with the phone locked.

What you need

  • An iPhone running iOS 17 or later.
  • AirPods that provide headphone motion to iOS (the in-app setup test confirms this for your pair).
  • A way to secure one AirPod to the rod so it moves with it. Equipment and mounting affect results.

Missing motion or unexpected results

  • No motion during setup. Check that Automatic Ear Detection is off, the microphone is set to the rod bud, and RodPod has Motion access in iPhone Settings. Then run the test again.
  • Gaps in a saved trip. The trip view marks periods where no signal arrived. Calls, disconnections and iOS interruptions can stop capture, including with the phone locked, so check the connection before relying on it and do not assume uninterrupted recording.
  • Unclassified periods mean RodPod could not assign a technique to that motion. That is expected and is shown rather than guessed.
  • Cast intensity is the measured peak acceleration at the AirPod, in g. It is not casting distance, line tension or a skill score. Compare values within one outing with the same mount.
  • Bites, tangles and catches are not detected. A period with no detected cast does not mean nothing happened.

Intelligent Highlights

On iOS 26 or later, enable Apple Intelligence in iPhone Settings, then turn on Intelligent highlights in RodPod Settings. Open a finished trip while recording is stopped. The status under Highlights tells you whether Apple's on-device model selected the facts. It only chooses from measured trip facts; it does not find new events, and RodPod never sends raw sensor data or audio to it. The rest of RodPod works without this feature.

Data management

  • Delete a saved outing from its trash button, by holding its card in Trips, or in Settings → Manage storage, where each trip shows its size. Deletion asks for confirmation.
  • Standard fishing trips keep compact results after processing. Developer field sessions keep their full recordings.
  • Copies you export with the share sheet, and any iPhone backup, are managed separately by you and by Apple. See the privacy policy.

Free allowance and RodPod Pro

  • Each fishing or rod-alert session includes up to 10 minutes free. Every new session starts with a fresh allowance.
  • RodPod Pro is an optional annual subscription that removes the duration limit for both modes. The price for your storefront is shown in the app before purchase; payment and renewal are handled by Apple.
  • Manage, restore or cancel the subscription in your App Store subscription settings. Saved trips remain available on either plan.

Contact

Email support@rodpod.app. To help us reproduce a problem, include:

  • Your iPhone model and iOS version, and your AirPods model.
  • How the AirPod was mounted on the rod.
  • The approximate time of the problem, and what you expected versus what happened.

Sharing diagnostics or a recording is always your choice. Developer exports can include transcribed speech or attached voice memos, so look inside a file before you send it.

Questions? support@rodpod.app